Christmas tree named Gretel (photo) | Germany Information and Travel Tips | DW

Frankfurt am Main • The birthplace of this lanky forest beauty is the wooded Spessart mountain range, located in two federal states: Hesse and Bavaria. It is already 90 years old – it is tall and heavy, therefore, in order to install it on the square in front of the Old Town Hall in the very center of Frankfurt am Main, cranes and other special equipment were needed.

The tree was given a beautiful and fabulous name: Gretel. Apparently, out of respect for the age of the tree, and also in order for the anticipation of the holiday to take on a more concrete form: they say, Gretel will make sure that the celebrations are not canceled, like last season.

The Frankfurt Christmas market is slated to open on 22 November. What can prevent this? Pandemic restrictions …

See also:

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  The Nutcracker: The Story of the Famous Wooden Toy

  Nutcracker fashion

  Germany is the undisputed world leader in the production and export of these wooden toys. And although they have been made by German craftsmen for a long time, in the USA, for example, nutcrackers became popular only in the 50s of the last century.

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  The Nutcracker: The Story of the Famous Wooden Toy

  The hero of the world famous ballet

  The Nutcracker and the Mouse King is a fairy tale story by German writer Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann, first published in 1816. In 1844, Alexandre Dumas (father) offered readers his version of the tale. It later formed the basis for the libretto for PI Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker, which premiered in 1892 at the Mariinsky Theater.

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  The Nutcracker: The Story of the Famous Wooden Toy

  Mythology

  Jacob Grimm, the eldest of the brothers, in his book German Mythology describes the traditional role of carved wood figurines in German culture. The nutcracker not only cracks nuts, it symbolizes strength and power, acts as a protector, brings happiness and good luck. Frighteningly clashing his teeth, he drives away evil spirits, preventing them from entering the house.

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  The Nutcracker: The Story of the Famous Wooden Toy

  Nutcracker is king

  Heinrich Hoffmann, the author of the children’s book “Stepka-Rash”, in 1851 also wrote his own version of the story – “The Nutcracker King and Poor Reynold”. The hero of the fairy tale is a poor kid, he finds himself in the magical land of toys, where he meets the Nutcracker King with a truly royal chin.

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  The Nutcracker: The Story of the Famous Wooden Toy

  “Pope Frederick”

  The “father” of the nutcracker is the carpenter Friedrich Wilhelm Füchtner. Inspired by Hoffmann’s tale, in 1870 he first scolded the nutcracker as we are accustomed to seeing it today. It was this figure that became the beginning of mass production. Today, the eighth generation of the Füchtner manufactory continues the traditional craft.

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  The Nutcracker: The Story of the Famous Wooden Toy

  The birthplace of the nutcracker

  For a long time, miners lived in the Ore Mountains, on the border of Germany and the Czech Republic. In order to somehow brighten up the long winter evenings, and at the same time replenish their income, they carved Christmas pyramids, openwork candlesticks, nutcrackers from wood. Here, in Neuhausen, the first Nutcracker Museum in Europe was opened.

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  The Nutcracker: The Story of the Famous Wooden Toy

  Knights and soldiers

  The mass production of wooden figurines began at the end of the 19th century. The picture shows exhibits of the Nutcracker Museum: the knight on the left was carved in 1650, in the center is a completely fresh specimen from the States, on the right is a nutcracker typical of the Ore Mountains, carved in 1870.

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  The Nutcracker: The Story of the Famous Wooden Toy

  Resourceful wizards

  If you believe the legend, such nutcrackers appeared at the whim of a well-to-do peasant who did not want to waste his energy on cracking nuts. For a modest reward, one of the villagers scolded a man who cracked nuts. The Nutcracker in the image of Napoleon (center) appeared in 1822.

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  The Nutcracker: The Story of the Famous Wooden Toy

  Time consuming process

  In the process of making a traditional German nutcracker, at least 130 work steps must be performed. Each figurine consists of 60 parts and is usually made of beech or fir. And the nutcrackers are painted, of course, by hand. Such an original costs at least 70 euros.

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  The Nutcracker: The Story of the Famous Wooden Toy

  Is everyone a nut to crack?

  Traditionally, the figurine is depicted in the form of a king, a soldier, a forester. But from time to time the “nut mission” is assigned to modern heroes. For example, Bill Clinton, Helmut Kohl and Gerhard Schroeder became victims of the “political coup”.

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  The Nutcracker: The Story of the Famous Wooden Toy

  Tradition and trend

  The Steinbach company in Hanover is a renowned manufacturer of nutcrackers. The family business expanded in the post-war years. This was facilitated by communication with American soldiers serving in West Germany: returning home, they took nutcrackers with them as a souvenir. Steinbach expands its product range every year. One of the recent developments is the nutcracker Darth Vader.

  By: Elizabeth Grenier, Inga Wanner

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